NRLA
The New Railway Link through the Alps (NRLA; German: Neue Eisenbahn-Alpentransversale, NEAT, French: nouvelle ligne ferroviaire à travers les Alpes, NLFA, Italian: Nuova ferrovia transalpina, NFTA), is a Swiss construction project for faster north–south rail links across the Swiss Alps. It consists of two axes with several improvements along these rails including three new base tunnels several hundred metres below the existing apex tunnels, the 57-kilometre (35 mi) Gotthard Base Tunnel, the 35-kilometre (22 mi) Lötschberg Base Tunnel, and the 15-kilometre (9.3 mi) Ceneri Base Tunnel.[1] Swiss Federal Railways subsidiary AlpTransit Gotthard AG and BLS AG subsidiary BLS Alp Transit AG (now BLS Netz AG) were founded for this project and built the tunnels.[2]
The total projected cost of the project was CHF 12.189 billion at its 1998 start; in December 2015, its final cost was projected to be CHF 17.900 billion. The 1998 projected total cost of the Gotthard Base Tunnel was CHF 6.323 billion; in December 2015, its final cost was projected to be CHF 9.560 billion.[3] It opened on 1 June 2016, and became operational on 11 December of that year. The Ceneri Base Tunnel was opened on 3 September 2020 and became fully operational in December 2020 and is an important feeder for the Gotthard Base Tunnel.[4] A decision between a full or partial completion of the second tube of the Lötschberg Base Tunnel is expected in 2023.[5]
Political background
During late-1980s and early-1990s negotiations with the European Economic Community (the predecessor of the EU), Switzerland demanded a limitation on transalpine truck traffic. When the EEC refused, Swiss negotiators instead proposed a heavy-vehicle fee (HVF), a kilometre-based tax on freight vehicles, for all lorries above 3.5 tonnes[6] and offered to build a high-speed rail link through the Alps for intermodal freight transport.
Swiss voters approved the rail link in a 27 September 1992
Other relevant Swiss legislation includes the 1994
The original plans for the NRLA were to construct only one main base tunnel, but regional disputes prevented a choice between the two options and threatened to jeopardize the entire project. The
In 1998, the total projected cost of the NRLA project was CHF 12.189 billion; in December 2015, the final cost was projected to be CHF 17.900 billion. The projected cost of its centerpiece, the Gotthard Base Tunnel, was CHF 6.323 billion in 1998; in December 2015, the tunnel's cost was an estimated CHF 9.560 billion. The 1998 cost of the Lötschberg axis was an estimated CHF 3.214 billion; in December 2015, it was an estimated CHF 4.237 billion.[11][3]
Swiss voters approved the NRLA project on 27 September 1992, with 63.6% support.[7]
Two years later on 20 February 1994, the Swiss populace unexpectedly also accepted with 51.9% support the Alps protecting initiative, a
Another mandatory referendum was held on 19 November 1998 about the creation of funds for four major public-transport projects (
The bilateral agreements with the EU containing the 40-tonne limit and the implementation of the HVF were finally accepted by the Swiss populace on 21 May 2000 with 67.2% support in a federal optional referendum initiated by opposing political parties.[8]
Gotthard axis
The Gotthard axis consists of the
This enables a high-speed link through the Alps with a top speed of 250 km/h (160 mph), reducing travel time between Zürich and Milan from previously four hours to currently three-and-a-half hours.[1][13][14][15]
The 57.1-kilometre (35.5 mi) Gotthard Base Tunnel is the world's longest and deepest traffic tunnel,[16][17][18] as was the original 15-kilometre (9.3 mi) Gotthard Tunnel at its completion in 1881. It consists of two single-track tunnels, connected by 178 cross-connections. There are two emergency stations in each tunnel, each connected to the corresponding opposite-tunnel emergency station. These stations are equipped with water supplies to refill firefighter and rescue trains. One (Porta Alpina) was proposed as an 800m deep rail station, but that proposal was rejected on both economic and technical grounds. AlpTransit Gotthard handed the completed tunnel over to the Swiss government on 31 May 2016. It was formally opened in a ceremony the next day, during which the tunnel was conveyed to its operator: Swiss Federal Railways (SBB CFF FFS).[19][20]
Lötschberg axis
The Lötschberg axis, with the
The second part of the Lötschberg axis is the
See also
- Rail transport in Switzerland
- History of rail transport in Switzerland
- High-speed rail in Switzerland
References
- ^ a b c "Overview". AlpTransit Portal. Berne, Switzerland: Federal Swiss Archives FSA, Federal Office of Transport FOT. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
- ^ "Construction". AlpTransit Portal. Berne, Switzerland: Federal Swiss Archives FSA, Federal Office of Transport FOT. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
- ^ a b Thomas Müller; Isidor Baumann (29 April 2016). "Oberaufsicht über den Bau der Neat im Jahre 2015: Bericht der Neat-Aufsichtsdelegation der eidgenössischen Räte zuhanden der Finanzkommissionen, der Geschäftsprüfungskommissionen und der Kommissionen für Verkehr und Fernmeldewesen" (PDF). Fedlex (in German, French, and Italian). p. 6686. BBl 2016 6665 (-6732). Retrieved 6 June 2017.
- ^ "The Gotthard Base Tunnel". Luzern, Switzerland: AlpTransit Gotthard AG. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
- ^ a b "Lötschberg Base Tunnel Upgrade Enters Next Stage". railway-news.com.
- ^ "Agreement with Europe". AlpTransit Portal. Berne, Switzerland: Federal Swiss Archives FSA, Federal Office of Transport FOT. 2 May 1992. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
- ^ a b "Yes to the NRLA". AlpTransit Portal. Berne, Switzerland: Federal Swiss Archives FSA, Federal Office of Transport FOT. 27 September 1992. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
- ^ a b "The end of the 28-tonne limit". AlpTransit Portal. Berne, Switzerland: Federal Swiss Archives FSA, Federal Office of Transport FOT. 21 May 2000. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
- ^ a b "Yes to the Alps Initiative". AlpTransit Portal. Berne, Switzerland: Federal Swiss Archives FSA, Federal Office of Transport FOT. 24 February 1994. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
- ^ "Green light for the network option". AlpTransit Portal. Berne, Switzerland: Federal Swiss Archives FSA, Federal Office of Transport FOT. 20 February 1995. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
- ^ "Transport policy as financial policy". AlpTransit Portal. Berne, Switzerland: Federal Swiss Archives FSA, Federal Office of Transport FOT. 29 May 1995. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
- ^ "Yes to public transport funding". AlpTransit Portal. Berne, Switzerland: Federal Swiss Archives FSA, Federal Office of Transport FOT. 29 November 1998. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
- ^ "Results for Gotthard". AlpTransit Portal. Berne, Switzerland: Federal Swiss Archives FSA, Federal Office of Transport FOT. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
- ^ "Gotthard Base Tunnel: Tunnel technology for the future" (PDF). Heerbrugg, Switzerland: Leica Geosystems. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
- ^ Shafy, Samiha (31 December 2006). "Elevator to the Underworld". Der Spiegel. Hamburg, Germany. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
- ^ "Gotthard- und CeneriBasistunnel: die neue Gotthard-Bahn nimmt Gestalt an" (PDF). Geomatik Schweiz. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
- ^ "Wer hat die grösste Röhre?" [Who has the longest tube?]. Tages-Anzeiger (graphical animation) (in German). Zürich, Switzerland. 14 April 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
- ^ "Gotthard tunnel: World's longest and deepest rail tunnel opens in Switzerland". BBC News. 1 June 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
- ^ "High-profile guests at the opening ceremony". AlpTransit Portal. Berne, Switzerland: Federal Swiss Archives FSA, Federal Office of Transport FOT. 1 June 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
- ^ "Festival marks Gotthard Base Tunnel opening". Railway Gazette. DVV Media UK Ltd. 1 June 2016. Archived from the original on 1 June 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
- ^ "Results for Lötschberg". AlpTransit Portal. Berne, Switzerland: Federal Swiss Archives FSA, Federal Office of Transport FOT. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
- ^ "The Lötschberg enters operation". AlpTransit Portal. Berne, Switzerland: Federal Swiss Archives FSA, Federal Office of Transport FOT. 9 December 2007. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
- ^ "Planning contract awarded for Lötschberg Base Tunnel track doubling". 1 February 2016.
- ^ "Lötschberg plans full rail baseline finish". www.tunneltalk.com.
External links
- AlpTransit.ch
- AlpTransit Portal of the Swiss Federal Archives
- The New Rail Link through the Alps (NRLA) by the Federal Office of Transport FOT
- A construction project serving Europe – The opening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel in 2016 by Presence Switzerland, FDFA
- Alpine Initiative site with political background information